Dermatitis is a common problem for incontinent patients. There are three basic products which are used to treat incontinent dermatitis: cleansers, moisturizers and barrier products, and various combinations of these products. Most cleansers involve the steps of wetting the skin, applying the cleanser, removing the cleanser and matter, rinsing and drying. Additional steps can include the application of moisturizers and/or barrier products.
Some cleansers are applied and wiped away in one step, leaving a type of moisturizer and barrier product. Such products include Promise Skin Caring Wash Cream, Hollister Restore Clean-N-Moist No Rinse Breathable Barrier, and MPM Cleansing Barrier Foam. These products have the advantage of providing a product that cleanses, moisturizes and provides a type of barrier in one step.
None of the above products, however, use petrolatum as the barrier product. The barrier products typically used are silicones or polymeric products which generally have inferior barrier properties. A superior barrier product is petrolatum. However, petrolatum has several properties that make it difficult to use. Petrolatum, when applied to the skin, is greasy and has unacceptable tactile properties. Attempts have been made to emulsify petrolatum in a cream or lotion form in order to reduce its greasy feel when applied to the skin, or to make it washable, as in U.S Pat. Nos. 4,389,418, 4,832,858 and 4,980,084. A foam skin conditioner containing petrolatum is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,677.
Cleansers containing petrolatum are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,829,563, 5,308,526, 5,312,559 and 5,496,488. These cleansers, however, are conventional cleansers that employ wetting, lathering, rinsing and drying. They are distinctly different from the claimed composition that involves one-step cleansing, e.g., applying the cleanser to the peritoneum and then wiping it dry, leaving a petrolatum barrier product on the skin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,593 discloses an ointment applied to a patient having diaper rash or incontinent dermatitis, wherein the ointment is applied to the peritoneum after cleaning and drying, and the ointment contains petrolatum, lanolin, oxyquinoline to inhibit bacterial growth, and other additives.
None of the above references disclose the present composition for use with incontinent patients that cleanses, moisturizes and leaves a protective petrolatum barrier against wetness and irritants in one step. Further, none of the above references disclose the present composition that can be conveniently applied as a dispersing spray.